Painting Classics: Pieter Bruegel the Elder

We continue our journey into the history of art, with a collection of paintings by one of the greatest Flemish painters, Pieter Bruegel the Elder or, how he was know in his time “Peasant Bruegel” (he lived during 1525-69).

Pieter Bruegel, the greatest Flemish painter of the 16th century, is by far the most important member of the family. His nickname “Peasant Bruegel” points to the usual subjects of his paintings: Flemish proverbs, peasant life, genre scenes of village and town life, popular Biblical scenes and religious and mythological allegories.

Bruegel’s art is often seen as the last phase in the development of a long tradition of Netherlandish painting beginning with Jan van Eyck in the 15th century. This tradition transformed the abstraction of medieval art into a more empirical view of reality.

1559 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Fight Between Carnival and Lent, on wood, 118x164,5 cm

Bruegel clearly rejected the influences of Italian Renaissance art and its classical foundations, which dominated the work of many of his Flemish contemporaries. Rather than mythological subjects, muscular nudes, and idealized scenes, Bruegel’s art portrays figures observed from nature, acting out realistic situations in believable contemporary settings.

1560 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Sets of Children, on wood, 118x161 cm

This collection is by no means a complete one, but it is sufficient to give you a taste of one of the greatest painters. Enjoy!